All of the top three malware families that impacted networks globally in May were previously unseen attacks, says Check Point SAN CARLOS, CA – Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP) has revealed that more than one in four organizations globally was affected by the Fireball or WannaCry attacks during May, in the company’s latest Global Threat Impact Index. Two of the top three malware families that impacted networks globally were zero-day, previously unseen attacks. Fireball impacted one in five organizations worldwide, with second-placed RoughTed impacting 16% and third-placed WannaCry affecting nearly 8% of organizations globally. These two malware variants, Fireball and WannaCry,…
ISBuzz Team
The total number of malware samples targeting smart devices has reached more than 7,000, with over half of these emerging in 2017, according Kaspersky Lab’s researchers. With more than six billion smart devices being used across the globe, people are increasingly being put at risk from malware targeting their connected lives. Smart devices – such as smartwatches, smart TVs, routers, and cameras – are connecting to each other and building the growing Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon, a network of devices equipped with embedded technology that allows them to interact with each other or the external environment. Because of the…
Given today’s leading technology story on BBC News highlighting why alarm bells are ringing over Computing in England’s schools, with the British Computing Society warning that the number of pupils studying for a computing qualification could halve by 2020, IT security experts from Mindtree and Thales e-Security commented below. Guita Blake, Senior VP & Head of Europe at Mindtree: “In the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, these statistics highlight the need for a significantly greater commitment to the ‘STEM agenda’ in the UK. Inspiring the next generation of computer experts is critical for both the future of the IT industry, and the UK economy more broadly. “The…
Following news that the University of East Anglia has mistakenly sent sensitive records to hundreds of their students, Richard Anstey, CTO EMEA at Synchronoss commented below. Richard Anstey, CTO EMEA at Synchronoss: “Malicious hacking attacks like Wannacry cause regular headlines, but in reality mistakes like this are the mainstay of data leaks. Accidental data loss is common and can have a huge impact, especially when it concerns sensitive personal data like this. But all too often it goes unreported. “There are a number of ways organisations, including universities, can respond to an incident like this. Firstly, they can try to minimise human error altogether through training, procedures and protocols.…
ISACA predicted that there will be a global shortage of two million cyber security professionals by 2019. Now today Tripwire details the biggest barriers to entry in the security jobs, and here is a quote from Ilia Kolochenko, CEO of web security firm High-Tech Bridge, providing his opinion on the matter. Kolochenko, CEO at High-Tech Bridge: “I think that the shortage of cybersecurity talents is highly exaggerated. However, the challenge of effective human resource usage in cybersecurity teams does exist. For example, today many companies have no clear and long-term cybersecurity strategy. They try and deploy new solutions and products almost every year, spending…
Following the news that fashion retailer The Buckle has been hacked via a malicious Point-of-Sale malware, cyber security experts from FireMon and Tripwire have commented on the situation as well as given advice on the best security measures enterprises should take. Paul Norris, Senior Systems Engineer at Tripwire: “Criminals will not stop targeting point of sale terminals and sadly we will not see this declining any time soon. Compromised credit card data continues to be a valuable commodity on the black market so any company collecting or processing valid credit card information will continue to be a prime target. “Enterprises need to become…
It has been reported today that ‘The Girl Scouts of America’ is partnering with security firm Palo Alto Networks to create a series of 18 new cybersecurity badges that its troops can start earning in September 2018. This comes at a time when there is an estimated shortage of 1.5million cybersecurity professionals in the industry, by 2020. In response to this news, Lee Munson, Security Researcher at Comparitech.com has offered his insight. Lee Munson, Security Researcher at Comparitech.com: “Having been prepared for just about anything since 1912, the Girl Scouts of America is now showing how it is also a forward-thinking association with several new…
News reports are surfacing about a huge voter records leak in the US. According to reports, personal data on 198 million voters, including analytics data that suggests who a person is likely to vote for and why, was stored on an insecure Amazon server. IT security experts commented below. Brad Keller, Sr. Director, 3rd Party Strategy at Prevalent, Inc.: “How Safe is your Data? The information disclosed by third party vendor Deep Root Analytics (https://gizmodo.com/gop-data-firm-accidentally-leaks-personal-details-of-ne-1796211612) seems at first glance to not be especially noteworthy – voter names, addresses, birthdates, and other “phone book” types of data. However, close consideration reveals that this information,…
The means by which hackers access user information have quickly evolved beyond traditional phishing emails. Phishing has always had the aim of baiting users to take an action or share a piece of sensitive information by appearing as a non-threat – but awareness has since grown. Unprompted password reset emails, while once effective, no longer drive the same volume of user action and are often detected by spam filters. Today, phishing attacks are targeted, can be difficult to detect, and grant malicious individuals broad permissions over user data, user devices, and online services. The days of basic phishing schemes have…
Despite its name, the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector is colossal in terms of size and revenue. Defined as a business having less than 500 employees and either an annual turnover under £87 million or a balance sheet under £75 million, SMEs in the UK account for 47 percent of the private sector’s total annual turnover at £1.8 trillion. Additionally, SMEs employ 15.7 million people, which is 63 percent of all private sector jobs. Given the critical role SMEs play in the UK’s economy, the scale and breadth of business is inconsequential to cyber criminals. Your organisation need not be a corporate goliath in order to be breached. Safeguarding and defending against…